52telecaster

The 2:1 recommendation always comes without a wheel size. I assume if it's radically different than 26" that compensation would need to be made.

nlerner

In support of @SirMike1983's reading of the S-A material, the 1951 Service Manual offers a gearing chart with several violations of the 2:1 common wisdom:

SirMike1983 

Good find as to those gearing charts.

I'm not sure whether it appearing later has to do with manufacturing issues or if it was a change to the way the hubs were designed. The warning appears suspiciously after the introduction of the no in-between gear "NIG" hubs, but that also could just be a coincidence.

Running a properly set up, older hub, I would not sweat the ratio too much if you need the extra low gearing.

nlerner

In additional tales of S-A hub weirdness, I had difficulty screwing in the indicator in the AW hub that's on the Raleigh Pro above. I didn't recall having any problems with that hub when running it on previous projects, but when I opened things up, I found that the axle key was broken in half. That's not the first time I discovered such a thing. Fortunately, I have plenty of spares, and now all seems to be running fine. Weird.

52telecaster

Wow 40-22 on a 26 wheel is pretty darn low. Even I don't need it that low! Yet.

tcs

All SunRace Sturmey-Archer builds is NIG. Warning in the factory literature since 2001?

adventurepdx

My speculation is that the 2:1 ratio was always known by Sturmey engineers, but they never bothered to spell it out, because they thought no one would push the limit. It didn't seem like most folks were swapping out the 18 tooth rear cog, I mean, who has found an old Raleigh three speed with a bigger cog? Plus, the whole concept of "ride up any hill, no matter how steep or long" wasn't a concept in mid-century UK, there's a reason why they called them "push bikes". And the island of Great Britain wasn't a very mountainous place--hilly, sure, but there aren't a lot of sustained mountain grades like you'd find here in the western US, France, or Italy. (Would Sturmey have made hub gears with lower gearing if there were?)

I equate it with modern tire talk. Back then, there was little, if any, variation in tire width for a given wheel size. When I look through my 70's era bike books, the whole tire talk revolved around wired or tubeless. Now? Search here or other forums and you'll get the "How wide of a tire can I get on X bike?"

As a heavier rider, I've kept my AW equipped bikes within that 2:1 ratio. It works good for here in Portland, and I also maintain a good high gear for downhills or when I need to power it. I don't want to risk it (heck, I've destroyed hubs as it is). But if you are a lighter rider with a smooth pedaling style and the hub is in good condition, you may be able to get away with a bigger cog.

Cyclespanner

Everything is relative.
I am a UK resident and live in a valley in South Yorkshire. If I wish to ride one mile out in any direction, there's a long hill to climb straight away, long enough for me to want a damn good reason to go anywhere!
Not exactly the Alps but enough to remind you how old you are.
You are correct, one never finds old three speeders with bigger rear sprockets.
Back in the day the vast majority of 'cyclists' did the shopping and went to work, locally.
Any further, you hopped onto a bus or a train.
The 'touring' cyclists, on their 'club' bikes were always few and far between and seen as a bit odd.
Times and expectations change.

Salubrious

I have a 1938 Royal Enfield with a 23 on the back and a 42 up front, on 650B tires. I think it might be the first year of the AW. I cheated and put a newer carrier on the hub so I could use a newer sprocket. The bike is sort like a 1990s mountain bike but less gears. It'll be interesting to see how it holds up.

PhilFo 

A friend of mine had to move out of his apartment on extremely short notice due to a fire in another unit in the building and he's storing a bunch of bikes in my garage. One of them is a lady's Raleigh Sports with mostly black hardware and a 1948 AW hub, so we're assuming the bike is 1948. It doesn't have a saddle but still has/had the post sticking out. I texted my friend the other day asking if I could buy the post off him and he said I could have it.
So last night, I went out to the garage, armed with an adjustable, a 5mm allen key, and an old MTB bar end so I could extract the recalcitrant post without any damage. It came out pretty easy, and there was no rust... I brought it back inside and cleaned it off better up at the 7/8" clamp side. Not only was there no rust at all, as a matter of fact, all the dirt and schmutz on the thing was just surface stuff. What I was holding was a stainless steel 1" closed-top straight post with no label or markings, and impressively thin wall. I've never seen such an animal; has anyone here heard or seen this kind of post?
Phil

SirMike1983 

I've seen posts like that on more middle and higher end bikes, but generally not on a base model Sports of that era. It sounds like an upgrade to me. A hiduminium post was also available as a further upgrade, though I think you'd notice if yours was aluminum (it's very light indeed). Nice find.

barnfind

I've run across a few of those super light closed top posts in the past, but none were ever on bikes, just posts I found in some box or parts room drawer. Either made from some sort of high grade chromoly or low grade stainless, they don't really rust, but they do surface rust or get sort of discolored with age. The last one I found was tagged '1952 racer' on it if that means anything to anyone, but the dealer that had it wasn't around in 1952. It wasn't beer can thin but it was light.
It was only slightly magnetic, but not enough for a typical stick magnet to pick it up off the floor.
I've got a drawer out back with about 200 English seat posts in it, it would surprise me if there were 5 of any one kind in there.
Most came from old bike shops or collector hoards that I acquired over the years. Those places are getting fewer and farther between these days but on occasion I still find one now and then that shocks me as to how much stuff someone left behind.
The last one was a mix of English bike parts and aircraft parts, the guy was a farmer who had several old air planes and his own runway along his own field so I now have several boxes of aircraft parts and gauges that were mixed in with all the old English bike parts. Who would have figured that what looked to be an abandoned dirt field airstrip would have half a truck load of old bike parts in side along with all the airplanes and parts.

Road Fan

So having touched on Club bikes, as the owner of a 27 x 1 ¼ Rudge with 531, I wonder how a change to 27 x 1 ¼ might affect the 2:1 policy, or if it has been reflected in teh S-A literature beyond the 1951-era gearing chart? I changed out my steel cotter chainset with 46 teeth/17 rear to a TA single with a 49 (it was in the pile in the Bike Room, and the TA314 spindle fit the BB bearing cups). Been looking at gearing options and my age and mediocre fitness, at least this month, and I might like to go to 2:1 as well. ertainly the frame does not have fittings for a chan tensioner of any significant wind-up ability. I could put on a claw and a front mech or a rear mech, but but ... not pretty!

For example does it apply to an FM, FW or an FG? What about any of the more recent 5-speeds?

Road Fan

Another topic: For a re-laced and pretty darn true Dunlop Special Lightweight rim in chromed steel. I still have all the original plated steel spokes on the bike, dirty but not rusty.

What sort of spoke tension can I use on this wheel?

The hub is the original 1952 steel AW. If I replace the rim I'll go to new Sapim spokes with similar butting to the one the Lenton factory used, but as it is I just want to finish the truing/rounding off with a set tension value. In deference to the old girl's age, I will probably back down the tension 10% or something, though my weight is borderline Clyde. I'll handle the front wheel the same way, considering the smaller number of spokes and 4x lacing (3x in the rear).

52telecaster

Unless you're a moose 2/1 will be fine. Ive gone 40/22 on 27" wheels and pulled my 40# son in a rear bike carrier. Climbed a lot of hills and never had an issue.

dimini

What a great find and conversion. I was about to mention to you that it could be a Limited Edition, then I scrolled through photos further to see that it's #70. I bought a Mk2 about 5 years ago as part of a junk pile storage unit sale for pennies. It already had a DIY rattle can paint job so I stripped it and had it refinished in black w/gold Raleigh decals as a tribute to my first Raleigh--a 1973 Competition that I bought as a kid. Though I love mine built as a full-campy road bike, I like your idea of making a fabulous 3 speed cruiser out of it. Damn... makes me envious, actually, because I also ride 3 speeds regularly--and it would be great to have one that weighs in at 24 lbs. Right on!

52telecaster

Also not your father's three speed. Gitane Tour De France. Was 27 lbs 3 oz. Before the saddle bag and cup holder. I used 650B wheels. This bike eats miles and the AW hub is flawless. The hub is a 1967 model. Frameset is 1971.

Small cog

This thread is making the world a better place by replacing derailleurs with hub gears one bike at a time, there is a lot of work to be done but if we all pull together.

52telecaster

Gorgeous fenders! Make me want to paint my gitane.

Small cog

They are the original Bluemels that came on the Carlton Ten.

raleigh76

What are the correct housing ends/ferrules to use with this style of stops? I've got some generic Jagwire stepped ferrules as you can see but I'm wondering if there is more correct style? The current ones aren't a perfect fit.

On a Canadian Raleigh Sports from 1976.

Thanks!

PhilFo 

It's a longer ferrule, with a stepped down bit at the open cable end. I don't have a photo, but they are definitely out there. Certainly one or two rolling around my basement floor...

nlerner

Perhaps heresy, but if that's brake cable housing, I'd skip the ferrule and just jam the housing in the stop. I don't think it'll work it's way through the opening.

raleigh76

Like this or something different?

PhilFo 

That'll work.